"No, I got too much sleep last night. That's what it was." He paused. That grin I love appeared on his face, his eyes almost closing in it. He tilted his head. "I'll take some pain reliever. A headache, imagine, on today of all days. I can't go to your show with a headache. My head might explode."

If he had a headache, I'd massage it away. The rain outside was lashing the windows, reminding me of what we'd just gone through. The typhoon wasn't far from our minds this morning. He'd looked questioningly at the large hotel room window when we'd woken up around noon. It was almost dark out, how angry the clouds were.

"Yeah, no wonder I slept so much? I woke up earlier, but I thought it was still night! How wrong I was."

He was on the phone now with Keitaro, who was wondering where we all were. He wanted us to meet him at the venue so we could watch Yellow Lizard practice, an invaluable lesson. They were going to be in rehearsal for hours, and had already been in rehearsal for a while. Apparently it was catered as well, and Tetsu had gone over the vegetarian options with Keitaro. Just because it's vegetarian doesn't mean it's safe, Tetsu had warned. A good reminder. However, it would be a nice beginning to how we might manage my meals on tour. Davy would be there, too, and be able to assist, just like on tour.

"We'll get dressed now and hurry over. What are you rehearsing now, what part? ...Uh huh. Ohh, that sounds very special. Did you contact everybody? ...What? Haha, that's hilarious. Davy called Yami? I can't imagine. He must have leapt out of bed."

So, apparently we weren't the only lazy ones.

"So, has Fumi arrived yet? ...No? That's not good. He's going to be later than us? What was he doing? I should really be following his blog. I'm so busy lately... Ah, that makes sense. Solo activities. What was he doing, and where? ...Oh, Nagasaki? That's so far. No wonder he's late. I can't imagine doing a fan meet and then flying all the way over here. That's too much. He does so much. He better have gotten some sleep."

Ah, Fumi. The guitarist of Yellow Lizard. Tall and slender, beautiful in face, he was the most popular member of Yellow Lizard and had been for a long time. He was often dressed as a girl in their promotionals, but it was purely a character, part of a long tradition in visual kei. Still, girls went crazy over him. He had his own cosmetics line called Double Pink and released singles by himself from time to time. I always found something about him to be cold and manufactured, though. Keitaro was by far my favorite member for his warm personality. He'd proven that personality to be true again and again in real life, and for that I was grateful.

Sometimes, it was hard for me to believe that all four members of Yellow Lizard had gone to the same high school. All that talent, in one school? It seemed impossible. That's where they'd met and gotten the band together, playing small gigs wherever they could. Their talent was raw and incredible, though, and they'd gotten noticed pretty quickly. With Keitaro's song writing and their different sound, they were signed under four years since formation. It seemed so fast, but when you considered how much they'd rocketed into the stratosphere with their music? There was something universal about their sound, yet absolutely unique. The messages in their songs were uncomfortable and made you think long after, too. It was a commentary on the state of society, things we aren't allowed to say. I think that resonated with a lot of people, and was the key as to why they were so popular. That, and their songs beyond the lyrics were unforgettable.

As I thought about this, Tetsu's hand wandered and nestled into my hair. I leaned on his arm, and his hand slipped down to my waist, pressing me to his side. We were still in bed, by far not progressing to the point of being ready to go to where Keitaro was. We were in our pajamas, and Tetsu's hair was a mess. I was enjoying watching its natural slight waves be all over the place. It was a warm feeling in my heart, seeing him so unkempt.

"Hmm, with this rain, do you think his plane could be delayed? Is he in the air?" Tetsu's eyebrows creased. "Is it safe? I hate that he has to fly in this."

He paused, and I observed the rain outside now that he was talking about it. It didn't seem to be letting up soon. They'd said it was going to rain while we were here, but I didn't quite understand how much at the time.

"Oh, okay. Maybe he'll arrive around when we do, then. It must be hard to rehearse without him. I know you're used to it, but- haha, what? No way. Don't steal her away, we need her. She must be beside herself. Haha, wait, I have to tell Sana. Wait. Let me put you on speaker."

All of a sudden, Keitaro's voice filled the room. My smile went up immediately, hearing his laughing voice. In the background, there was the strumming of a guitar far away, echoing off the walls.

"Sana, Shizue is filling in for Fumi, can you believe it? She's playing Yellow Lizard songs," Tetsu beamed at me, squeezing my side. My hand went to my mouth immediately, grinning. So happy for her.

"Yeah, you hear her?" Keitaro asked, a bit loudly. There was so much noise where he was, he was almost shouting over it. "She's warming up for the next part of the set. She knows it all, it's incredible. She knows everything we throw at her, even the early stuff. Fumi better watch his back. I think she might be better than him!"

"How did that happen?" I asked, intensely curious. I tried imagining her on stage with them, but it was too impossible, yet it was happening right now.

"She showed up early. Fumi didn't. The math checks out," Keitaro chuckled. "She came in and wanted to look at our equipment. She was intense. Tatara offered that she fill in for Fumi while Fumi was trying to make it here, so we can rehearse you know, and she jumped at the chance. She's been going over it with us for about two hours."

I breathed a happy sigh. "Well, I'm not surprised. She's a huge fan. Of course she'd have memorized how to play your songs." It made total sense to me. Shizue could be intense in her fandom for various bands. Back in the day, she often could be found shredding Korn or Slipknot when things got too quiet during practice, obsessed, a song always in her head that she had to get out with her fingers, completely restless. Honestly, I usually appreciated the noise.

"Yeah, well, if Fumi ever can't play a live then we might have to snatch her."

"I welcome that. How great for her."

"It might be easier for Fumi, anyway. That way, on days like today, he wouldn't have to fly in bad weather and we'd have this great kouhai to fill in. I think I'm going to thrust them together during the American tour, get them to know each other. Meddle a bit."

The sound of Shizue starting to play a random solo somewhere in the space behind him made my heart so happy. She stopped, then started again. It was something so familiar to me. She had to be perfect, stopping herself and then going again, over and over. That was part of her greatness, why she was one of the best.

I nodded, smiling. "Do it. I bet she'll want to study his style up close, especially if you're serious about her filling in sometimes."

"Oh, I'm absolutely serious. I'll discuss it with everyone. It's good for you, too. If our fans see her filling in for him, then they'll check out Lyra, naturally. You'll rise steadily."

I couldn't stop smiling. He was right. There was nothing bad about this at all, so much positivity. The sound of footsteps came into focus, and Tetsu moved his head to me, kissing me on my hairline, his warm lips making my eyes roll upward in sudden pleasure. The footsteps clicked on the floor of the space, louder and louder.

"Keitaro," Davy said, "we have to move. We were just told that the stage director wants to test effects. Can they do that while we go through our set? Is it going to interfere, do you think? Should they do that after? How long do you think this is going to take? Without Fumi, anyway, we're going to have to rehearse again, at least in part. Should we move on and let them have the stage for now? It's lunch time, anyway."

The stage director. That sounded exciting. So different than what Lyra was used to. It really was a big production. I couldn't imagine it. Excitement was crackling through my body now, thinking about it. So many hands involved in one show, to make it the best for all the fans coming. The enormity of it. I wanted to see it. Suddenly, I was antsy, wanting to get out of here. I wanted to be in that space, too, talking to Shizue about what she'd been doing all morning. Going wild with her, dreaming with her. When she heard what Keitaro was thinking of? She'd freak out. I wanted to be there for it. I couldn't wait to hear what Hikaru's reaction would be to her filling in for Fumi sometimes, too. Opening for Yellow Lizard was one thing, but actually getting to play with them? That was enormous.

Somehow, deep inside like a fluttering dragonfly flying into distraction, a small line drawing me away, I knew when Yami found out about this that he'd be the most jealous he'd ever been. Shizue could handle herself against him, though. She'd roll her eyes and say her famous, "ANYWAYS" whenever he irritated her and continue on, completely ignoring him. It made me want to giggle. So familiar, reminding me of old times.

But, now here we were, incredibly. Now, she might have the greatest opportunity. I was ecstatic for her. Who knew back then that she might one day play for them? It was the most amazing thing in the world.

"Alright, I have to go. We're going to get some lunch. Come over quickly, okay? We'll all have lunch together and discuss. I want Lyra to watch us practice to see what to expect. The best opportunity is to do that after lunch. I want you all to see what a show is like from the inside and out."

"I can't wait." I realized I'd been smiling this whole time. The most I'd smiled in several days.

"Come on, Keitaro. I heard the staff got into the catering table already. There might not be much left by now. The sooner we go, the better. Who are you talking to?" Davy seemed like he was getting antsy, too.

"I'm talking to Sana and Tetsu."

"Ohh, okay. Hey!" Davy called to us.

"Tell Davy we said 'Hi'," Tetsu said, his hand going to his mouth to hide a laugh. So cute.

"Hey, Davy, they say 'Hi'," Keitaro said loyally. "Alright, we're going to go now. Get here quickly. If the catering is going fast, then I worry that Sana might not get enough to eat. If that's the case, Davy can find something good. I trust him."

"Yeah, absolutely!" Davy called, a little more in the distance.

"Ohh, we need to get some food in you," Tetsu gasped, taking his face away from his phone. "You skipped a meal. We slept so much."

I nodded, wanting to snuggle with him more. He was right, though.

"Bye, Keitaro. We'll hurry over. I just realized Sana skipped a meal, because we slept so late. That's not good at all."

"Oh, not good. I'll scope out the table to see what kinds of things he can eat. Davy will help. We'll fix him a plate so he can eat immediately."

"Sounds really great. Thank you both so much." Tetsu squeezed me again, and I snuggled into him more, knowing we'd soon have to part as we got ready for the day.

"It's nothing, really. Okay, come quick! See you soon!"

"See you soon!" Tetsu grinned, dazzling me.

"Good-bye," I said formally, acknowledging that Keitaro is my highly respected senpai. I was so grateful to him.

We hung up, and immediately Tetsu pulled me to him. He moved my body onto his lap, and I was facing him, my legs over his, sitting on his thighs. My eyes opened wide at this, wondering what he was doing, but I didn't have to wait long.

His hands went to my cheeks, framing my face. They were so warm and large, gorgeous. I tilted my head a little, loving them.

"You feel fine?" He asked, searching my face. "I'm sorry. I just realized we missed a meal. I was so excited... I wasn't thinking."

I nodded slowly, as much as his hands would allow. "I feel great."

"Okay, baby." He drew me in, and we were kissing. His lips were unusually wet, and my eyes rolled up behind my closed lids. His hands slipped down to my back and he pulled me close. I wanted to be like this always. It was over too soon. He broke our kiss, but smiled at me. That lovely smile. So different than these past few days, warming my heart.

Something about this was so easy. So normal. Since last night, we'd been able to speak without worry. How had I been so nervous? There wasn't anything scary about him. He loved me, and there was nothing to prove. I'd been so worried that he wouldn't love me anymore, but I could see that was silly now. I hadn't ruined anything. He was right here, smiling at me.

With Yellow Lizard distracting us, I'd almost forgotten about the past few days when we were talking to Keitaro, but it was impossible to forget. We were still in the middle of it, but the world was still flowing. We still had things we needed to do despite what we were going through. I was grateful for the distraction, though. It meant Tetsu could smile again.

"I'll get us dressed. What do you want to wear?" He asked me, smiling that smile. Making my heart feel so free.

"You choose. I like seeing what you want me to wear. It makes me feel so good right here." I put my hands over my heart like wings. Trying to be cute for him, to make him smile more. I'd seen it worked last night, so I wanted to keep doing it.

"Oh, right here?" He was grinning again. I wanted to kiss it over and over. He pressed his hands over mine, on my chest, warming it up even more.

"Yeah." I leaned in this time. Needing to kiss him, unable to resist. He was receptive, and his plump lips... They were heaven. I pressed his head to the headboard, and he made a small groan in feeling good. My tongue slipped into his mouth, and the noise he made made me go into oblivion.

We'd be later than promised to the venue, and for that I was sorry. My head tilted in the kiss, and he followed me. I never wanted this moment to end, for reality to set in again. I'd prolong it as long as possible, my secret wish.